Industry Trends

Nov 11, 2020

Running the gauntlet of COVID-19 has shifted how businesses think about global supply chains. Companies are not just looking at manufacturing costs, but at what happens if their supply chain shuts down.

Talent Talk: More Good News for the Plastics Industry and Its Workers

Nov 09, 2020

The plastics industry lost 73,000 jobs in March and April, and has gained back 55,000, or 75%, of the lost jobs. That is better than the economy as a whole.

Plastics in Spotlight at Virtual Engineering Week

Nov 04, 2020

Experts in material selection, product design, engineering, and manufacturing share insights at the five-day virtual event.

Talent Talk: Economic Indicators Point in Positive Direction

Nov 02, 2020

We’re not where we were before the pandemic, but it does look like the beginning of the V-shaped recovery that the plastics industry and the United States in general were hoping to see.

US Plastics Industry Reports Another Trade Surplus

Nov 02, 2020

Mexico and Canada remain the US plastics industry’s largest export markets. Although the US plastics industry had a $13.7 billion deficit with China, resin exports recorded a $2.5 billion trade surplus.

COVID-19 Was Not the First Supply-Chain Disruption, and It Won’t Be the Last

Oct 29, 2020

The need for a robust supply chain that can respond to rapidly changing demand as product life cycles shorten hasn’t changed, says Protolabs CEO Vicki Holt. 3D printing isn’t always the right solution, nor is injection molding — you have to...

Hi-Cone Worldwide Joins U.S. Plastics Pact

Oct 29, 2020

The supplier of plastic-based multi-packaging systems has committed to achieving four ambitious goals, including ensuring that all of its plastic packaging is 100% reusable, recyclable, or compostable by 2025.

Dow Introduces First PCR Resin for Shrink Film

Oct 27, 2020

The post-consumer recycled (PCR) resin for collation shrink film gives North American customers one more tool for sustainable packaging alternatives, said Dow.

Medical Manufacturing Supply Chain Sees Bright Future

Oct 23, 2020

The medical technology industry is successfully navigating this recession like it has many others, and the supply chain is happy to go along for the ride.

North American Automotive Tooling Spend to Post 31% Year-on-Year Decline

Oct 19, 2020

A study by Harbour Results reports that 2020 automotive vendor tooling spend in North America will be $6.4 billion less than originally forecast and 31% below the $9.3 billion total in 2019.

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